The Supreme Court issued a show cause notice to All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey on Friday, accusing him of using delaying tactics in an election petition before the Calcutta High Court.
Chaubey has been seeking adjournments in the case related to the Maniktala assembly constituency in North Calcutta, which fell vacant after the death of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Sadhan Pandey in 2022.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and P S Narasimha expressed their disapproval of Chaubey’s behaviour, stating that he and his legal team have been seeking adjournments on various pretexts to delay the proceedings. The bench indicated that these delays were intentional and that his lawyers were likely complicit in the tactic.
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Why was Kalyan Chaubey issued a show-cause notice?
The Supreme Court’s show cause notice requested an explanation from Chaubey about why he should not be removed from his roles as president of AIFF and joint secretary of the Indian Olympic Association, allowing him to focus entirely on the election petition.
“Respondent no 3 to show cause why we should he be not relived from his responsibilities as president of All India Football Association and joint secretary of Indian Olympic Association through a judicial order. It will enable respondent number 3 to fully concentrate on conclusion of election petition proceedings,” the bench said.
The bench made it clear that if Chaubey does not appear or continues to delay the proceedings, they would consider issuing non-bailable warrants, accusing him of deliberately defying court orders. This strong response aims to ensure that the election petition is taken seriously and moves forward without further interruptions.
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